The Crimson Garment
by someoneintheshadow456
Summary: As humanity wages war against an alien race, a young girl searches for her father's killer. An alternate continuity of Kill la Kill set in a dystopian future.
1. Timeline

2014: Bacteria killing fabric known as Silver TNCQ discovered in Melbourne, Australia

2022: Silver TNCQ cloth begins being tested on small animals, found to augment immune system while worn

2037: Silver TNCQ begins being sewn into clothing and tested on humans, but after six months the testing was found out and stopped, scientists involved jailed.

2039: Asteroid found in The Democratic Republic of Congo after being buried within the earth for thousands of years, speculated to be of extra-terrestrial origin. After being taken to Australia for examination it was found that it appeared to be of multicoloured cloth like material, later that year they replicated the Silver TNCQ experiment with similar results.

2042: Australian scientists begin running tests on the asteroid, the cloth like material was found to be sentient and would respond actively to contact with humans. Fragments of the asteroid were woven into the cloth and tested on rats. They began showing a remarkable increase in intelligence and strength, which increased over time, but their lifespan dramatically decreased. Combining the asteroid with Silver TNCQ alleviated this problem.

2044-2047: Asteroid fragments of single colours found in Japan, America, Australia, China, South Korea, India, France, England, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Thailand.

2047: Asteroid material mixed with Silver TNCQ begins being tested on humans in secret in Honnouji, Japan. The material was given the name "Red Fibre" due to its colour. Humans showed an increase in intelligence and strength, as did their animal counterparts, but also radical changes in behaviour. These included mood swings, schizophrenic symptoms, symptoms of sociopathy, and increased libido. The more Red Fibre one wore, the more severe the behavioural changes.

2048-2049: American scientists emulate the Red Fibre experiment using the native variant Yellow Fibre and other nations follow suit. It was found that no matter the colour, the effects of the fibres were the same and those in the age group 14-24 displayed highest Red Fibre tolerance but also the most severe personality changes.

2050: Red Fibre experiment goes awry, all scientists and test subjects dead save one survivor, Souma Kiryuin. The incident in Honnouij causes the rest of the world to put their test runs to a halt. Experiment data buried, the public was told the incident was a nuclear leak.

2055-2080: Souma Kiryuin restarts his research on Red Fibres in secret, testing the material on his various family members. The newfound intelligence and strength of the family made them rise to prominence, and the Kiryuins became one of the richest and most influential families in Japan.

2088: The Kiryuin Conglomerate in more experiments finds that existing clothing in various parts of the world ended up containing Red Fibres in small amounts, indicating that Fibres have been in use long before they were discovered. Later that year it was found they played a vital role in the evolution of the human brain throughout history, prompting them to be renamed as Life Fibres.

2090: The Kiryuin Conglomerate begins manufacturing clothing imbued with Life Fibres. Crimson brand clothing becomes popular within the country.

2110: Japan becomes the most powerful country in the world; other nations begin producing clothing imbued with their various Life Fibres in order to replicate its success. The behavioural changes however persist, and humanity begins to grow increasingly bipolar and violent.

2124: Human beings who have been wearing Life Fibre induced clothing for more than twenty years start going on rampages all over the world. It was later found that prolonged exposure to Life Fibres caused the wearer to be controlled by them until they would eventually cease to exist. Possessed humans, now known as COVERS, begin to call more to their aid by speeding up the consumption process of other human beings.

2125: Crimson Corporation, now known as REVOCS Corporation, becomes one of the many corporations to aid the COVERS in their conquest of humanity.

2130-2137: The First Life Fibre Invasion, a war between COVERS and their sympathizers and the resistance, begins and lasts for seven years. The resistance is crushed and most of the world's nations are impoverished and their cities destroyed.

2150: Over one half of the world's population consumed or dead, the COVERS, aided by Life Fibre sympathizers, are now a mainstay and free humans have turned to hiding. Economic and social strata are now determined by connection to Life Fibres.

2155: The Spectrum Alliance, an international group of Life Fibre sympathizers, is formed.

2160: Humans begin fusing themselves with Life Fibres to make the benefits of Life Fibre clothing permanent, thus creating Hybrids. They resemble normal humans save for having coloured streaks of hair and abnormal eyes.

2170: Over ten percent of the remaining population consists of Hybrids.

2190-2220: The Second Life Fibre Invasion begins and lasts for ten years, the resistance manages to defeat the COVERS, but Life Fibre clothing is still being produced.

2240: The Kiryuin Conglomerate's eldest daughter, Ragyo Kiryuin, becomes a Hybrid.

2255: Ragyo and her husband, Soichirou begin experimentation on their twin daughters. Attempts to turn the elder one into a Hybrid failed, and the younger one died. Soichirou defects from REVOCS and goes into hiding.

2258: The Spectrum Alliance, which Ragyo is a part of, begins its plans to revive the COVERS.


	2. Prologue

I came from the richest family in the country.

My mother was a CEO, my father was a scientist.

I always wore designer clothes; I had impeccable manners and etiquette. I was elegant, graceful, and poised. I was always clean and well groomed; there would never be a hair out of place.

I attended a private school for affluent children, and was valedictorian since I was five. In fact, I was so clever that I was able to skip a grade.

I was in the music club, and won first prize every year for piano, violin, and singing.

I was on the volleyball team, and I always made the winning serve. I was on the track team, and always came first.

I was the student council president, I always got elected, and I conducted every event to the best of my ability.

I was a model student, a model daughter, and a model successor. I knew I could be no less. I had to strive for perfection; perfection was in my blood, there was no room for error, no room for fallibility, no room for humanity…

And to all outward appearance, perfect was what I was.

But every day when I came home, when I was bombarded with the chatter of Mother's colleagues, when I forced myself to attend lessons, when I felt crippling loneliness in spite of all those around me, I remembered. I remembered her innocent blue eyes and wide smile, I remembered longing for her day in and day out, I remembered the story of how she died.

And every night, when I was reminded of just how weak I was. When I allowed myself to be manipulated into submission, when I was reminded of all my defects, of just how small I was, I would remember...

I was nothing more than a pawn in the hands of others.

I was far from perfect.


	3. Wilted Flowers

The date was May 1st, 2255.

It was a day of endings, but also a day of beginnings. It was a day of death, but also a day of birth.

Or to be more precise, the day when two children who shared a womb opened their eyes to this hellish world.

There was a time when giving birth was a painful process, when anaesthetics had to be given to the mother to prevent her from screaming in agony as her child was pushed out into the world. Now it is incredibly easy, at least, for the mother.

All the woman and her husband had to do was wait patiently and see to it that their plans were going in motion, they were cool and composed, eerily so as they turned a deaf ear to the screams of the woman in the other room.

And then, it finally happened. A maid appeared before them, carrying two pink bundles in her arms. The woman looked on, unmoving as her husband carried both the children in his hands and admired them as a proud father would. Those children were not conceived out of love, but in a glass tube, monitored and manipulated so that they would inherit the strengths of both parents, and then implanted in a poor young lady desperate to make ends meet. Yet that did not matter to the man, not in the least bit.

"They look just like you…"

The woman frowned as she looked at them; they were so undeniably human in appearance, as she once was. They had the same jet black hair and icy blue eyes that she did before she corrected her human deficiencies. However, this would not be the case for long…

"We should get a move on, all preparations have been finished."

The man stared in shock; he knew of late that his wife was acting strangely. They loved each other deeply once upon a time, and she was once a compassionate, caring, albeit eccentric person. And then her quirks started to become more pronounced. She started becoming more cold, calculating, apathetic, violent, psychotic… inhuman.

But he chose to ignore it and gave her the benefit of doubt; they had no choice but to do this if they wanted perfect successors who would carry the family name. They had to have perfect children, wasn't that what every parent wanted?

And so he accompanied his wife to the lab, and placed one of the babies on the operating table, he held a scalpel in his trembling hands. There was a good chance that the child would die if the experiment failed. However, if the child lived, she would be perfect, but unhappy. She would live her life as a fish in a glass bowl, constantly watched over and having every little aspect of her life controlled, and if she lived to adulthood, she would slowly succumb to them for the sake of maintaining her perfect status, and then she would eventually cease to exist. Or perhaps not, maybe she would be strong enough to hold on to whatever little humanity she had, after all, her mother was the same, was she not?

"Soichirou, get on with it."

He nodded, and injected the baby with a needle. The sedatives would knock her out long enough so that she wouldn't notice what was being done to her. Then he shaved her head with a razor, and then used the scalpel to cut a line across her head, dividing it into two equal parts, and then her skull was exposed. Then with a pair of tongs, he held them gingerly, the glowing spools of blue thread that would change everything…

They began to thrash about and then latched themselves on to the child's brain, and then they began to move downward, presumably to her spinal cord, before eventually spreading to the other parts of her body. Then, once she was stitched back, she was placed in the machine, with sensors and wires on her head. His wife pulled the switch, and the lights began to flash, a current began to pass through. The child's eyes flung open, and she began to wail for the pain to stop.

Soichirou couldn't bear to watch.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked up, expecting one of two outcomes: death, or a ring of blue appearing on the top of her bald head.

Nothing.

There was nothing, the child was just the same as she was before.

"I don't understand…"

The woman scoffed, burying her face in her hands.

"It appears that some humans are destined to remain as they are, no different from animals, unable to ascend to higher planes of thinking…"

Soichirou's eyes grew wide, the way she carried herself, the way she talked, the way she acted… this wasn't the woman he married at all.

"No matter, there is always the other one…"

Soichirou then repeated the same process on the other baby, only this time with red threads, and when she too began wailing in the machine, he averted his eyes, praying that at least this one would be a success…

The child was as pale as a ghost, and lay there, limp and lifeless.

Instinctively he opened the door, took the child in his arms, and began to weep. Then he looked at his wife, searching her eyes for some form of the sadness and pain he was feeling…

There was nothing but cool indifference and icy disdain. She sighed contemptuously, and began to mumble to herself about what could have gone wrong, wondering if they should try engineering another child, mulling over the possibility that they could try again with their surviving child…

"It is no use, Soichirou. There is no point in crying over it. She was too human to give herself to them, it was bound to happen. After all, it is the survival of the fittest on this planet…"

It was happening; no… it had already happened. What a fool he had been not to have seen this earlier…

"Ragyo, please, don't let them influence you-"

She chuckled as if she had heard a funny joke.

"Oh, darling, when will you learn? I'm one step closer to being semi divine… but of course you are too human to comprehend such a thing."

Soichirou stood, baring his teeth.

"What have you done with my wife?"

"I am your wife, only better. Don't you see how this was good for us? The source of our intelligence and power, all of it, we owe it to them. Unfortunately our children cannot seem to accept them, but we will try again, until we have successors worthy enough…"

She tottered a bit, and placed a hand on her head. Soichirou hoped for a miracle, he hoped Ragyo would come to her senses and fight, she did not.

"Curse this human heart, but no matter, she will be dispelled soon enough…"

That was all he needed to hear to know that his wife and the mother of his daughters was truly gone forever.

So while Ragyo paced the floor, wondering what to do from here, Soichirou solemnly walked out the door with the corpse of his dead child, leaving without a word.

And I was left behind.


	4. A Blade and a Meeting

_How many years has it been since I came here? Four? Five? At this point, I can't even be bothered to keep count anymore. _

_I walk towards the familiar door, I don't expect Dad to greet me with open arms and ask me how my year's been. He was never that type. He's always busy in the lab, looking for more ways to study those… things. I don't even know why he bothers. He hates them, well, he never told me. I guessed, as that could be the only reason why he's here. Is he trying to fix me? Well, it's too late. I was doomed the moment I was dragged here, a hybrid living in a colony of wild humans? Said hybrid would just be asking for trouble. _

_When I enter, I notice something's wrong. It's dark, and it looks like someone trashed the place, pots, plants, furniture, what have you are strewn everywhere, there's cotton from destroyed cushions all over the floor, the works. I'm pretty sure something's up, so I leave my bags near the door and run to the basement, and that's when things really start to get weird…_

_I hear the sounds of swords clashing, a woman laughing, and Dad trying to fend off an unknown attacker, presumably the laughing woman. Stricken with terror and anger, I run downstairs, hoping to rush to Dad's aid._

_Wait… why am I doing this? I know I'm not scared of the attacker; I can beat wild humans with no problem. That's not the reason why I'm so confused. To say Dad and I have a rocky relationship is an understatement. Why do I want to save the man who doesn't give a damn about me and cares more about his stupid experiments? I guess blood really is thicker than water then. _

_I shouldn't have thought of blood. _

_Dad's just… lying there, in a pool of red, with a part of the scissor blade that he's been working on for months protruding from his chest. Instinctively, I run to him, tears rolling down my cheeks._

"_Dad! Dad! Who did this to you? Let me get the bastard who-"_

"_Ryuko… don't. She's like you. You wouldn't have stood a chance against…"_

_Dad coughs up blood, and my eyes grow wide when I realize what he's getting at. _

"…_Take this blade… the killer has the other half… and… take that chest over there… there's something in there I've been meaning to give you…_

"_Dad, how? How did they find us?"_

"_Ryuko… go to Honnouji. There, you will find Mr. Mikisugi… my colleague… he has all the answers. And remember... remember what I told you..."_

_How could I forget?_

_"Don't lose your way."_

_"Exactly... right. Ryuko... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never… explained… that I never told you the truth…"_

"_The truth? The truth about what?"_

_I shake Dad, but he doesn't move an inch. His eyes are lifeless, his body is cold._

"_Dad? Dad! Don't go! Please! PLEASE!"_

_I kneel beside Dad's corpse and cry out, but I don't let grief haunt me for long, I have a job to do…_

Honnouji… In retrospect, coming here was an incredibly stupid idea.

Honnouji was life fibre central. You couldn't walk two steps without running into a one or two star clad human, sometimes you even saw a couple of hybrids. There were wild humans here too, of course, but they all lived in the slums, waiting to jump unsuspecting people for money or food, and when you were a hybrid, you were extremely likely to be jumped. But I had half of Dad's scissor blade, and I also was wearing the outfit Dad gave me, so I assumed I would be okay.

I said 'outfit' because I had no idea what this thing was, it was made of life fibres, that was for sure, but it didn't look like any uniform I had ever seen before. It was a red and black sailor outfit, but the shirt was short, so short that my midriff was exposed, but it didn't matter that much, but what was even stranger about it was the collar on the front, it looked like… a pair of eyes. It kind of scared me whenever I looked at it.

I did a bit of digging and found out that Mr. Mikisugi was a teacher at Honnouji Academy, one of the many schools across the country to make use of life fibres. I also managed to find out that his apartment was an hour from the school… in the slums.

I always thought that the human colony were I used to live was bad, this place made it look like some sort of safe haven. Dilapidated wooden shacks instead of houses, drug dealers in dark alleys, brothels, thugs, scavengers, vendors that sold synthetic crap instead of genuine food… the people here had it rough. It was either give yourselves up to the life fibres or live a life of abject poverty.

"Get her!"

I turned around and saw a couple of street urchins running towards me, their ringleader, a boy of about eight years old with brown hair and black eyes looked kind of familiar to me… where did I see him before?

"Hey, Hybrid, cough up the cash and no one gets hurt!"

"Yea, Hybrid! Give us all your money!"

'Hybrid…' I was used to being called that, usually by the goons back at school or the gangs that used to pick fights with me.

"You came to the wrong neighbourhood, bitch! Run back to your mansion and lick the Kiryuins' boots like you're supposed to!"

I had heard about the Kiryuins, they were the first family in Japan to make use of life fibres. They've been slaves to the things for over a hundred years. Now they're the owners of REVOCS, the sole producer of uniforms. They also had a huge interest in hybrids, and were always searching for new ones to recruit. One of the few things Dad ever told me was to stay away from them, as once they knew about me; they would surely try to use me.

Perhaps then, the woman who killed him… it was highly possible that she was either a Kiryuin or in league with them. So that narrowed my search down a bit.

"Really, guys? You know, this street punk routine isn't working out for you…"

The brown haired punk got out a knife and puffed out his chest, he had an evil grin on his face. He and his cronies began to surround me, but I wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"You know who you're dissing? Lightning Speed Mataro, that's who! And we're gonna show you who's boss! We're gonna hurt you so bad that you'll be begging to leave us humans alone! Earth belongs to us, not to you!"

"Yea, go back to your planet and leave us alone!"

The words I have heard so many times and almost believed made me snap.

"All right then, you wanna fight? Then come at me!"

They charged at me all at once, I swung out my scissor blade in a spinning motion, and that single move knocked all of them over. They were sprawled on the floor, slightly bruised but not seriously injured...

Then I saw the brown haired punk being grabbed by the shirt by a girl about my age. She had the same hair and eyes as him, except she had a bob cut, and wore a blue and white sailor uniform. Immediately, a bell rang in my head.

It was no wonder that punk looked so familiar.

"Oh, come on, sis! Look at her! She's-"

"First of all, picking fights with hybrids is suicide. Second, the ones that are in cahoots with the Kiryuins are emotionless robots obsessed with order, and she doesn't fit that description in the slightest! And third, how many times have I told you to stop mugging people and get your sorry ass to school?"

She dropped him to the floor and he yelled in pain, then he got up and had a hand on his back.

"All right, sis! All right! Just don't beat me up again…"

The brown haired punk, who I then remembered was called Mataro, stomped off to his house, grumbling. Then his sister looked at me, and then I remembered a day that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"…Mankanshoku."

The girl looked at me, puzzled, did she not remember? Did she not recognize me?

"Yea, Mako Mankanshoku… wait, you're… you look familiar… we've met, haven't we?"

I heard the sound of a tramway and a bell ringing, and then Mako grabbed me by the hand and started dragging me to it.

"Hey! Where are you taking me-"

"Hurry up!"

We began running as fast as we could to catch up with the tramway, with Mako screaming all the way.

"Ahh! I'm gonna be late! I don't wanna get expelled! Hey! Let us on! Let us on! Let us on!"

Eventually we caught up and jumped onto the tramway, and we were on it. There were a bunch of kids wearing the same uniforms as Mako, and they were glaring at me as if I was some sort of criminal.

"Hey! Why'd you take me here? I'm supposed to meet my Dad's friend, Aikuro Mikisugi, and you just dragged me way off course-"

Mako froze, and then she gave me a knowing look. I could tell that I finally jogged her memory.

"Your dad… your dad's Ishin Matoi, correct? Shaggy grey hair, beard, kind of creepy…"

"Spot on. You… you still remember what happened?"

"How could I forget? How is he?"

"He's… he's dead."

Mako looked sad for a minute, but then bounced back to normal.

"Oh… and, and he wanted you to meet Mr. Mikisugi before he died, right?"

"Yup."

"Well, don't worry! He's my homeroom teacher! You'll love Honnouji Academy, and I'm sure we're gonna be good friends-"

"Wait… you're taking me to… HONNOUJI ACADEMY?!"

I knew when we first met that Mako was a bit on the crazy side, but this? This was a new low. The worst part was how eager and cheery she sounded, as if she was going to take me to an ice cream shop.

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in! This won't be anything like the human colony, trust me!

There was no formal admission process for school which made use of life fibres. They only wanted brains or brawn, and if you could prove your worth, they gave you a uniform. If you had no potential… then well, you got the slums, but you could always try again later… if you lived to survive No-Late day, which was code for "weed out the useless ones and keep the strong and smart."

"If the Kiryuins find out about me, they're going to take me away."

"Oh… you mean Lady Satsuki? We almost never see her in person, and she barely notices us no-star students. As long as you can lay low you're fine, but you may have to do something about your hair… ah, I know!"

She reached into her schoolbag and got out a hairclip. Then she lifted a part of my hair that wasn't red, pulled the highlight underneath it, and clipped it. I wondered how effective a disguise this would be. I briefly imagined the clip coming undone later, which was likely to happen, as I always kept my hair uneven. It was spiky, with different strands of different lengths and my fringe was long and unkempt to hide my huge eyebrows, another one of the few things Dad told me to do. He always said that if I kept my hair straight, I'd look even more like a hybrid than I already am.

"There, now nobody will ever know!"

I gulped as I saw a giant pillar come into view, it looked even more intimidating than I had pictured. At the very top, I saw a person with long flowing hair standing with a sword in her hand.

That was probably this "Lady Satsuki" Mako had mentioned, and if she was a Kiryuin, I would have to avoid her like the plague.

"Is that her…? I asked, pointing to her."

"That's Lady Satsuki, the successor of the Kiryuin Conglomerate. Her mom appointed her as the essential ruler of our school, everyone, even the principal is at her feet. She might not be a hybrid like her mom, but she's super strong. Don't mess with her, or you'll enter a world of pain."

Yup. Avoid her like the plague.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

The tramway stopped, and the students began frantically running to the entrance, Mako grabbed me by the hand and safely manuevered me so that I wouldn't get trampled. I may have looked tough on the outside, but on the inside, I was shivering like a leaf.

I knew I'd have to find Mikisugi, get some answers soon, and get out. Otherwise it would be a matter of time before I was discovered, and I didn't want to be a mindless slave of an alien entity.


	5. Gathering Intel

I had heard a lot about Life Fibre schools back in the colony, it was said they were an integral part of city life.

When you were a kid, you went to a normal school. But those schools sung praises of the Kiryuins and drilled into the students heads that Life Fibres were the best thing since sliced bread. Then, when you were about ten, they'd look at your marks, your skills, your physical fitness, and your code of conduct. If you made the cut, you'd go to a Life Fibre school for your secondary schooling. If you didn't, you ended up with about a fourth grade education and impoverished. I also heard rumours that if a new student came in, they'd have to take a super difficult exam on the first day with little to no warning, and then they'd be pitted against higher ranked students to determine where they belonged.

Mako told me that I wasn't too far from the truth. When I looked around the corridors I asked where the little kids where, and she said there were two campuses right next to each other, one for fifth to eighth graders and another for us, and that Satsuki's been ruling over both of them since she was old enough to attend.

"…and I'm sorry about Mataro. He really should shape up, I mean, he's going to be evaluated next year, and at the rate he's going, I doubt he'll get a place here."

"Hey, it's no big deal. Wait… where are you taking me?"

"To the staff room." She whispered in my ear, "If I take you to my classroom, they'll take you to the exam room and make you join the school. You said you didn't want Lady Satsuki to find you, right?"

I had to admit, she could be dumb, but she wasn't too dumb to live.

She stopped at the room in question. After a few minutes of waiting, a frail looking man with unkempt black hair and thick glasses came out of the room. His eyes seemed to be fixed on me.

"Mankanshoku, is this a new student? Why hasn't she been taken to the testing room yet-"

"Mr. Mikisugi, this is Ryuko Matoi, she says her dad was a friend of yours, and that she had some questions for you…"

He was silent for a few seconds.

"Come in, Matoi. Mankanshoku, go to class, tell everyone I'll be a little late."

"Okay, thank you."

He closed the door. The staff room looked just like the one in my old school, desks and papers were everywhere, but I didn't see any other teachers there. Mr. Mikisugi began to look around cautiously, and then he closed the windows and drew the curtains, now the room was slightly dark.

"Why all the secrecy?"

He frowned and sighed.

"The walls have ears, Matoi, if I were you I'd be careful. One may never know…"

He walked closer to me and pulled out Mako's clip, and then smoothed my hair so that the highlight was visible.

"…when one will be open to attack."

I jumped back and held out my scissor blade at him, I didn't like this guy, he was hiding something.

"All right, what exactly were you to Dad? How'd you know that I was a hybrid?"

He didn't even flinch.

"Matoi, calm down. I'm not going to give you away to Lady Satsuki. In fact, I want you to leave here as soon as I'm done with you."

He began to pace the floor and started staring at me without wavering eye contact.

"Let's start at the beginning, what exactly brings you here? Did something happen to Ishin?"

"He's dead, some crazy lady broke Dad's scissor blade, stole the other half, and trashed his lab. He told me to come to you before he died, said you knew some answers. So let me ask you… why? Who wanted Dad dead, and why?"

He stopped pacing the floor for a minute, and then sighed.

"So they finally found him out, huh? I always knew the Kiryuins were on his tail, but I didn't think they'd actually come after him…"

I froze, I felt my blood boil as he mentioned that name. So I guessed my speculation was right on the money.

"You mean… you mean his murder was in cahoots… with THEM?! Why? Do they know about me? Did they want him to join them-"

"They wanted to take him out of the equation, for you see… this may be hard to believe but…"

"But what?"

"Ishin always had a bone to pick with that family, he never told me why, it was probably personal I guess. He hated them so much that he wanted to see to it that they were toppled once and for all, that's why he was making those scissor blades of yours, they're specifically designed to cut through Life Fibres, and that outfit… well, you'll find out about it soon enough."

He moved towards me; we were now inches apart, now he was really starting to creep me out.

"Why keep quiet about this? Is it a uniform?"

"…something like that. Now where was I…? Ah yes, but your father wasn't alone. When you were very little, about two or three years old, your father hired me as his assistant. He had this big plan; he wanted to found an organization… rather, a resistance faction…"

Then he did something really weird. He took off his glasses to reveal greyish-blue eyes, flipped his hair back, and stood straight, as he was hunching before. Now he looked like some kind of male model, like the ones shown in the REVOCS commercials.

"…a resistance faction which is still very much active, thanks to me."

I blinked for a few seconds, trying to adjust to his new appearance. He was creepy without a doubt, but something about him was also alluring, I found myself staring a little too long, and turned to face the wall in a sharp movement.

"So… if you're the leader of this resistance faction… then why are you here, in a Life Fibre school?"

"Gathering intel. You know, the best way to defeat your enemy is to pretend you're in league with them, get to know their secrets, and when they are most vulnerable…"

I felt his hands on my shoulders; I jumped and ran away, my back against the wall.

"…you strike."

My heart was in my throat and I was shaking. So… the Kiryuins wanted Dad dead because of his little resistance faction, that made sense, and maybe… maybe that's why he didn't want me around. He wanted to keep me under their radar and away from all the crap he had to deal with so I wouldn't be killed, but that still didn't make him a better dad.

"All right. Thank you for your time, I guess I'll be on my way then-"

"No. I've got a better idea. I changed my mind about what I said earlier…"

I had a bad feeling about this…

"Don't you feel any anger over Ishin's death? I know he wasn't exactly a model parent, but blood is thicker than water, is it not? Don't you want to know more about what your father was after? Don't you want to see this killer get what she deserves? Don't you want… revenge?"

The logical half of me knew he was appealing to my grief to get me to finish what Dad started, but he was right. I secretly did want revenge, and now, thanks to Mikisugi, I was morbidly curious about what exactly it was Dad was planning…

His answers were not enough. I wanted to know more, especially about this truth that Dad wanted to tell me before he died.

"Forget it. She was a hybrid, a Kiryuin hybrid at that, I wouldn't stand a chance against someone like her."

Mikisugi chuckled and smirked at me.

"You're no fool, Matoi, you have a level head. That's good. But it's possible that you can get revenge… if you became stronger, if you did as I'm doing now. If you pretended to be an ordinary student, rose through the ranks, got chummy with the Kiryuins… and then once you found out who did it, stabbed them in the back."

My stomach began to churn, the idea of working for the Kiryuins, even if it was for an ulterior motive, made me feel sick with disgust.

"Oh hell no. You're not saying that I should actually study here, are you?"

"I'm saying just that."

"They're going to come after me if-"

"That's just it, IF. Don't let them find out, and you're safe…" he put the clip back in my hair, "But you won't remain past the radar for long, if you get that outfit of yours bloody, then well…"

"Then what?"

"Just try to avoid Lady Satsuki until you become at least a two star. Also, don't bring Mankanshoku into this, she's got a few screws loose, but she's really a nice girl. It would be a shame if she got in trouble because of you."

"I owe her a debt."

"Well, it would be best if you paid that debt soon. Now I have a job for you…"

He pulled his hair forward and put his glasses back on, and then he opened the door and whispered in my ear.

"You will go to the testing room, write the entrance exam, and go through the combat trials, just like everyone else. You're a hybrid so you'll at least pass in both, but of course, they don't have to know that. Once you do that, you'll lay low, and focus on becoming a one star. To do that, you'll have to have a 70 percent average and had to have joined a club, for you, I'd suggest the kendo club."

"Wait… I thought your rank got determined straight away."

"You thought wrong."

I was being offered a new life and a new motive; would it have been wise for me to take it? What did I have waiting for me? A life of being teased and mocked in a dingy colony, picking fights with random gangs and struggling to make ends meet. It was either go back to that, or grit my teeth and get through Mikisugi's ordeal to get answers.

I had made my decision.

"I'll do it."

"Excellent. Now go. The testing room is room 201. Good luck, and remember: Don't lose your way."

Those words, the ones that Dad would say to me the few times we talked, instinctively made me stop dead in my tracks.

"…How… how did you-"

"I guess some of Ishin's personality rubbed off on me."

He walked down the hall to Mako's classroom, and I walked up the flights of stairs, knowing that if I wanted to get answers, infiltrating was the first step.

I had just taken a path I had never expected to take.


	6. The Deciding Match

Every time I had a job to do, but wanted to drop everything and run, when I was too emotional to carry out anything, when I went on fighting sprees and started knocking out everyone I could find, when I thought life was pointless and wanted to drop dead, Dad told me to repeat those four little words…

"Don't lose your way."

When I asked him what he meant by that, he told me it meant a bunch of things. It meant that I shouldn't waver from my objective, whatever it may be, but it also meant that I should never lose sight of what was really important, and that I should be ambitious and strive for greatness, but not forget myself in the process.

When Mikisugi asked me if I wanted revenge, it made me think. I could have stormed into the Kiryuin manor and started fighting and questioning people one by one, or came right up to Satsuki and forced her to come out with the truth, but that would have been reckless, getting caught up in my emotions and forgetting what was to be done, in other words, losing my way.

The testing room was a long and wide expanse of desks, pencils and pens, and students in varying uniforms, but there were a couple of kids without uniforms, they were most probably from colonies, like me. When I entered, I had to talk to some nerdy looking guy in a white suit, with glasses and blue hair. I had no idea why people in cities chose to dye their hair in gaudy and ridiculous colours; I guessed that it was a sign of privilege or something like that. There was a monitor in one of the walls which told the duration of the paper and how much time we had left.

I felt myself grow cold when I saw the room the first time; I was never one for schoolwork. If I'd been a human, I would have pretty much failed all my classes, but since Life Fibres increased cognitive capabilities and memory power, I was able to just barely pass in spite of rarely picking up my books. Maybe that was why I was hated. Even without trying, I would be better than some humans, and there was nothing they'd be able to do about it.

But at Life Fibre schools… a mere 50 percent average was not enough, and the curriculum in those schools was a whole other league. Even though I was sure I'd fail, I would have to try to take this exam if I wanted to infiltrate this school and get answers.

I sat down at the desk and saw the answer sheet, where I had to put all my personal details. When I looked at it, a thought came to me. The Kiryuins knew who my Dad was and what he did, if I put my real name on the test paper, Satsuki would know who I was. I had to come up with a pseudonym to avoid getting caught… but what would I use? At that moment, I looked outside the window and saw a river and couple of cherry blossom trees, which gave me an idea…

I didn't know what possessed me to choose a name like that, but it was an effective disguise. "Haruka Midorikawa" didn't sound like the name of an angry delinquent at all. I knew that "Sakura" should have been the first name to come to my head after seeing the cherry blossom tree, but it didn't. I was glad for that, Sakura sounded way too girly, and being called that would make me cringe.

After that, everything was easy. I put my date of birth, my age, my previous school name, the type of school I studied in, and then I ticked the "orphan" box where I was supposed to put my parents' names. When I did that, I felt a twinge of pain. I imagined some of the other kids here were orphans too; losing your parents was commonplace nowadays. Finally I had to answer the question about my race. I heard in the past, "race" meant ethnicity, but nowadays it meant if you were a human or a hybrid. I knew just what not to choose.

I heard an alarm bell ring, and the screen at the back of the room showed two hours and thirty minutes, and began to count down. I picked up my pencil and started to work. There were six sections; two in mathematics, one Japanese, one English, and two science.

The math here was weird. At the colony we were doing basic equations and stuff like that, here they had to add calculus into the mix, which our school barely touched. Japanese wasn't that different from my old school, except all the passages were written vertically, making the questions a pain to read. English was where I felt I lucked out; I knew a few phrases and words, but not much, colonies didn't feel the need to teach students who would probably never see anything outside their hometown a global language. Science was a mess. Biology, chemistry, and physics questions were being thrown at us left, right, and centre, and sometimes they mixed all of them up in one question.

By the time two and a half hours passed, and the papers were taken away, I was dead. I highly doubted I'd pass this one, so I knew I'd have to rely on the combat trials. The blue haired nerd announced that the tests would be fed into the computers and the results would be calculated and displayed on the screen, and that the one who got the highest mark would be tested in combat first. I knew I was probably going dead last.

The results came on the board almost instantly, and even though I wasn't dead last, I was still near the bottom. 42 percent was better than I thought I would do, but by Honnouji standards, it was probably a bad grade.

It would be a few hours before I would get my chance. So I took this time to have a catnap at my desk. When I woke up, my name, or rather, my pseudonym was the next one on the board, and then I heard a voice from the speakers.

"Haruka Midorikawa."

It took me a few seconds before I realized that was my name, and then I went into the room next door. It looked like a gym, and I saw a guy with black hair up to his chin wearing a white kendo outfit. He was folding his arms and had a smug look on his face.

"Am I gonna have to fight you or what?"

He sighed and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"If you fought me, you'd be dead in a minute. You're from one of the colonies, aren't you, New Girl? I'm not too surprised, wild humans have no manners."

It took a lot of effort for me to not talk back at him.

"But I'll give you some credit. You realized that Life Fibres are only here to help us humans, and that's why you're here, so you're not entirely stupid."

"Enough talk, now who's gonna be my opponent?"

He frowned and then glared at me angrily.

"You do realize who you're talking to, do you? Uzu Sanageyama, chairman of the Athletics Department, president of the Kendo Club, Lady Satsuki's right hand…?"

That name made me freeze, I began to shake and back away slowly.

"Ah… so you at least know who she is. I guess that settles that. You know your way around a fight?"

"I know how to fight with my bare hands, but I'm better with a sword."

"You know Kendo?"

"Nah. I don't follow any specific style, I taught myself."

Uzu chuckled and then sighed.

"Toin, step forward."

A skinny looking one-star student with short hair, like a buzz cut, stepped in front of me. He had a wooden kendo sword in his hand.

"My name is Masaya Toin of the Kendo Club, pleased to meet your acquaintance."

He bowed slightly, and then threw a wooden sword at me, which I caught. I didn't know why you had to assume all these courtesies with someone you had to fight.

I got myself ready, and Uzu held his hand up…

"Three, two, one-"

But before he could finish counting down, he turned around to the sound of clacking heels. He knelt down and stared at the floor, averting his eyes, Masaya did the same. I turned to the direction of the sound, and alarm bells started to ring in my head, and a voice began screaming at me to run.

The very person I was trying to avoid was staring squarely at me, and I was staring squarely at her. She had long jet black hair that ran past her waist, icy blue eyes, bushy eyebrows slightly covered by fringe, and an angular face. She was wearing a white blazer, white pants, and white boots. With the amount of white she wore, you'd suspect she was trying to blind people.

"What do you think you're doing, New Girl?! Bow-"

Satsuki held out her hand to prevent Uzu from saying anything more. She began to pace the floor, and circle me like a vulture, eyeing me from top to bottom. If she was angry, she didn't give any indication. Her face was expressionless and cold.

My cover had been blown. She knew who I was, she knew it all. I had to get out of here, I had to get out-

"Look at me."

I was looking at my feet, I didn't want her to see the fear in my eyes.

"You don't appear to be deaf. Look at me."

I forced myself to look at her; she continued to circle me, her arms folded as she walked. As much as I hated to say it… we did share some physical similarities. We were both the same height, and I was always considered tall, we had the same bushy eyebrows. We even had the same eyes, except for the diamond shaped brand that I had, came with being a Hybrid. I always used to wonder why I had naturally blue eyes. Maybe my mom was American or something, well, that would explain some things.

But as far as similarities went, that was about it.

"Haruka Midorikawa, age 17. Date of birth: May 1st, 2255. Wild human, no parents, raised in Colony 52, and now a vagrant… am I right?"

The way she said "Haruka" and my date of birth made my skin crawl. She sounded like she was mocking me. I wasn't surprised that she knew this info though; Satsuki probably had access to everyone's test results and personal data.

I had a very strong feeling that she knew I was lying.

"I take your silence as a yes."

She began to intently stare at the clip in my hair, and then she started eyeing my outfit.

"You aren't particularly bright, but you seem… skilled. Unusually skilled for one of those pigs in human clothing, but one must not carelessly judge a book by its cover…"

Then she looked at my face, and then my outfit again, and then my hair, and moved back to my face. She sighed. If I didn't know better, I'd say she looked… disappointed, for some weird reason.

"Lady Satsuki, there's something suspicious about this girl, I can feel it-"

"Hold your tongue, Sanageyama."

She raised an eyebrow, she looked like she was thinking about something, almost as if she was… confused.

"You don't judge a book by its cover; you judge a book by its contents. I wish to observe this match. Carry on, Sanageyama."

She walked up to the bleachers and sat down, not taking her eyes off me.

I wanted to get out of here. Satsuki knew about me and why I was here, she wanted me dead, or worse, she wanted me to work for her. I had to run… I wanted to run. But I had to keep myself grounded, I had to remember what I came for, so I repeated those words in my head.

"Don't lose your way."

Masaya got back into position, and Uzu began to count down.

"3…"

"Don't lose your way."

"2…"

"Don't lose your way."

"1…"

"Don't lose your way…!"

"…Begin!"

I grabbed the wooden sword and lunged forth.


	7. A Reluctant Transformation

Masaya was pretty damn fast, even while holding back because he wanted to follow the rules of Kendo.

When I ran at him after Uzu started counting down, he was able to dodge me by simply swerving out of the way. I tried to get him from the other side, but he managed to hit me on the head.

"Men."

When wild humans hit me, they barely left a scratch, but when this guy, a one star hit me, I ended up feeling quite a bit of pain and almost got flung over. I didn't want to know what fighting Dad's murderer would be like.

Luckily I bounced back and tried to hit him in the stomach. He ran a few steps back and then tried to hit me again. I got out of the way this time. I started to run the other way, but then he hit me in my ribs, catching me off guard.

"Dou."

One more hit and I'd lose the match, and I would as well have said goodbye to my chances of getting answers. I decided to really mess with him, just because Masaya was trying to be a good sport didn't mean that I should.

I started to run as fast as I could, circling him. He kept trying to run in between me, but I never gave him that opportunity by swerving around him as much as I could. Then when he was about to spin around his heels to pursue me, I tripped him with the kendo sword, and he fell down on his back.

"Kote!"

Okay, I knew you weren't supposed to say that after tripping your opponent, hell, you weren't even supposed to trip your opponent in Kendo, but I still always wanted to say that. Masaya had one hand on his back and another on his head, and he was staring at me angrily. Uzu was shocked; his face was red with fury.

"Disqualified! Disqualified! That's against the rules-"

"It's all right."

I was so engrossed in the match that I forgot that Satsuki was sitting right there in the bleachers, watching me like a hawk.

"Call Fukuroda here, she needs more of a challenge."

Uzu bowed and walked out of the room, a few minutes later, a short and stocky bald guy was with him. He was only wearing a cloak, a pair of trunks, and huge gloves, all in white.

"Well, this is a surprise; you're the first wild human I've met who could take on a one star, I think I'm going to find you interesting…"

I really didn't like the way he said that.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"The president of the Boxing Club, can't you tell? Oh right, you've probably never seen a uniform in your life! Poor, poor thing, you must be trembling before its power as I speak!"

Actually I was wondering how someone can wander around in public so tackily dressed…

"Enough chatter, now let's do this."

I picked up the wooden kendo sword I had used earlier and ran at him, then something happened that I didn't expect. He hit me with a barrage of punches, each one more powerful than the last, and his gloves felt like hard steel ramming into my face and torso. He finished me off by punching me in the gut, and I landed flat on the floor. I couldn't feel my body at all, my vision was blurry, I felt nauseous, and dizzy, but I could hear just fine… and I wished he had punched out my ears too.

"Ha! Just as I thought! You're all bark and no bite!"

"Your test scores are abysmal… but for a wild human, you're decent in combat, even with unorthodox methods… but if Lady Satsuki were to let you in, I'd be very surprised-"

"She's in."

"Wh-What?!"

"I was hoping she'd prove to be more amusing… but alas, she is still green. No matter, if she wants to show us what she's made of, let her."

All their voices were like nails on a chalkboard, I wanted to silence them, all of them, with my own bare hands. I was trembling on the floor, trying to get up slowly.

"You… bastard…"

I pushed myself up with my hands, and I was kneeling. Then I stood up, but my legs were trembling and I was holding my right shoulder with my left hand, I knelt slightly to pick up the kendo sword with my right. I wasn't standing up completely though, and my vision was still a little blurry.

"I'm not… gonna let myself… be beaten by some two star who thinks he's all that!"

I felt queasy in the pit of my stomach, and then I started coughing, I felt liquid coming out of my mouth as I did. That was when my vision started coming back. I looked down at my uniform and saw a patch of red, and then I remembered what Mikisugi said…

"_If you get that outfit of yours bloody, then well…"_

Almost immediately after, my uniform started to expand. The sleeves began to morph so that my entire arm, including my hands, were completely covered, then the skirt morphed into leggings, covering the entire bottom half of my body, and then I was covered in cloth from the chin down. Then it started to tighten, until it was practically clinging to my skin… no wait, until it may as well have been my second skin.

It was chafing, stifling. It was as if the outfit was trying to swallow me up, or trying to drain my blood like a vampire. The cloth started digging into me, and I began to struggle against it, but in vain, the damn thing wouldn't budge.

"Get off me…"

It refused to move, getting tighter by the second.

"Get off…"

Then threads came up from the neck part, and it started to cover my head, eventually it would cover my entire face too.

"GET OFF!"

Then I lost consciousness…

* * *

_There is nothing but red._

_Red strings everywhere, covering my entire body, covering the entire landscape, they're everywhere… everywhere…_

"_Surrender…"_

_Who the hell is that?_

"_Yes! Yes! Surrender, flesh-being! Become one with us, merge with us completely!"_

_I know what those high pitched screams are, the Life Fibres have tried to take me over before… but then… who's the other voice?_

"_Oh, what's this? How intriguing… a cross-breed. Neither of blood, nor of fibre…"_

_Who is this? Who's in my head?_

"_Well, it's no wonder I was able to last this long… had you been a flesh-being, I'd have consumed you right then and there…"_

_It's the uniform… it's the uniform… it wants to consume me… it wants me to succumb… it wants to erase me completely…_

"_What do you call yourself, cross-breed?"_

"_How is that any of your business? Get out of my head! Get out and stay out! If you want a body, find one of those Kiryuin goons and latch on to them, not me!"_

"_We can only accept the blood of the first person who offered themselves to us."_

"_Hold up, uniforms don't work like that!"_

"_Listen to him, flesh-being! Let him become one with us, make him one of us!"_

"_We are unadulterated. We form when what you call Life Fibres are stitched together to create a single stream of consciousness." _

"_Make him one with us flesh-being! Listen to us flesh-being!" _

"_Unadulterated… you mean… you're all Life Fibres? You… you don't even contain Greysilk?!" _

"_Precisely… now go on, you've managed to last long even for a cross-breed. Let me take you over-"_

"_NO WAY IN HELL, YOU FILTHY ALIEN PARASITE!"_

* * *

I could see the gym again.

All my wounds were healed, and I felt much stronger, but also drained, like there were little syringes all over my body that were slowly taking out my blood. My breasts and lower body felt bound, as if I was wearing a bikini that was far too tight for me. The rest of my body felt cold, cold and bare.

I looked down, and the form that this uniform took may as well have been a way-too-tight bikini. Both parts were mostly red with black streaks, the collar that looked like eyes had changed into two yellow dots smack in the middle of the top part… I realized just how suspicious that looked. The cloth was clinging to my body, digging into my skin and not letting go.

Wait… the uniform, instead of consuming me… changed itself so that I may as well be in my underwear?!

"_You wanted complete control, so I changed my form accordingly." _

It talked. It was talking in my head.

"Okay, what's the big deal here? What exactly are you?!"

"_No need to shout. I can speak to you in your mind, so you can just do the same." _

"_Great, now you're telling me you're a telepath?!"_

"_I can only do this because of the high percentage of Life Fibres in your brain. Now, where was I…? Ah yes, I couldn't consume you as you are, you're too strong, so I decided to bond with you instead. Flesh-beings are strange for considering certain parts of the body taboo, but I chose to keep them in mind when I fit myself to you."_

"_Gee, thanks for the concern." _

"_I detect what you flesh-beings call sarcasm in your speech, rather, your thoughts." _

"_Keep quiet you parasite! I have a fight to win here-"_

"_A fight I can help you with, in exchange for a body." _

"…_What?"_

"_You are debating whether to take my help or not. Hmmm… you seek out the culprit for the murder of a parental figure, am I correct?"_

"_I wish you weren't a telepath."_

"_There are many things about flesh-beings I do not understand, but I do understand the need of flesh-beings to search for answers, or as you would call it, human curiosity. You are able to control me, and I respect you for that, so I'll lend you my strength."_

"_Hey, wait, what the?!"_

The uniform was silent.

I almost forgot about the people around me, and I looked. Uzu's jaw was slack, the boxer dude was pointing at me, and Satsuki was still staring at me and scrutinizing every aspect of my appearance, only this time, she was smiling.

"I-impossible…"

Wait a minute… the uniform said that only a hybrid would last this long while wearing it… the look on each of their faces meant that they knew what this uniform was… which meant that now my cover was really blown.

Everyone knew I was a hybrid, and it was only a matter of time before Satsuki would cart me off to REVOCS for testing… if I let her do it that is. I decided I didn't care if she knew or not, I was going to stand my ground and fight for my life.

"Well… this changes everything, Haruka Midorikawa… if that is your real name."

I decided to up the ante; I took the scissor blade out of my pocket, as I had shrunk it down before, and let it expand to normal size. Then I pointed it at Satsuki.

"Shut up, bitch! If you wanna make me one of your little pets, you'll have to take me down first!"

Uzu and the boxer dude gasped, then they ran to the bleachers and stood in front of Satsuki protectively.

"You dare speak that way to Lady Satsuki?! You deserve no mercy for that-"

Satsuki held her hand out; Uzu stopped talking, but was still on the edge.

"You will not speak until I give you permission, understood?"

They both nodded, and then Satsuki stepped down from the bleachers, and stopped walking when we were only a foot or so away from each other. I got in a defensive position and started glaring at her.

"The Rending Scissors… Ishin Matoi's most prized invention… or at least, what's left of it. Interesting… you're the first hybrid I've encountered to actively oppose your own kind…"

I lunged towards her with my scissor blade aimed at her neck.

"Ishin Matoi was my dad, and one of your cronies killed him!"

She dodged me and then stabbed me in the stomach with the hilt of her sword; I stumbled over and knelt down.

"Then Ishin has concealed you well… but you're pathetic. You have a Kamui but don't even know how to use it. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to land a hit on me, hybrid."

I got up from the floor and started to charge towards her.

"My name is Ryuko!"

She used her sword to block my scissor blade. I couldn't believe it; she managed to give me a tough time without breaking a sweat… and she was completely human.

"You want to oppose me so badly, Ryuko Matoi?"

"I want revenge! You know who killed my dad, don't you? Tell me who did it so I can give her what she deserves!"

"And why do you think I have this information?"

"Because the killer was one of your pet hybrids!"

Satsuki chuckled as though I said something really stupid, then she lunged at me and I was thrown half a foot back. Satsuki started walking back to the bleachers.

"Fukuroda, step forward. I believe Ryuko Matoi desires a rematch."

With lightning speed he jumped down, now he was right in front of me, and leering at me. I didn't want to be reminded of the fact that I was half naked.

"You and your underhanded tactics! Now you're trying to distract me with your body, aren't you?"

"You love to hear yourself talk, don't you, you pervert?"'

I didn't think he liked being called that, so he started running towards me, I braced myself for his punches.

"I'm gonna enjoy beating you a second time!"


	8. A Life for a Life

"…I'm gonna enjoy beating you a second time!"

I stood my ground for his barrage of attacks, expecting to be thrown to the side like I was earlier, but surprisingly, the boxer dude's punches barely hurt; in fact, they didn't hinder me at all, and I was fast enough to dodge most of them. It seemed that wearing something as skimpy as this was a small price to pay for that kind of strength.

The boxer dude looked at me dumbstruck, but kept fighting anyway. He ran towards me and tried to hit me in the stomach, but I flipped over and evaded him. It was a close call though, as his fists barely grazed me before I got out of the way.

_My form bothers you, does it not, Cross-Breed?_

_You again?!_

_You did not expect me to strike up a conversation with you at this time. _

_Oh really? Gee, I couldn't tell! And my name's Ryuko, not 'cross-breed,' so stop calling me that!_

The boxer dude started hitting me with rapid speed again, and I was using my scissor blade to block his attacks, but I was sure he'd eventually find an opening.

_This flesh-being is very strong, but very stupid. He fights you as though he is fighting a rock. _

_What does that even mean?_

Sure enough he tried to hit me in the face, but I managed to swerve out of the way and kick him in the torso, and he fell over. He got up, but he was pretty weak, I was sure I had at least bruised him, but he ran at me and tried to punch me again.

"How are you able to evade my Iron Fist Barrage?!"

He was practically screaming in my face, it was getting a little ridiculous.

"Really…? You actually name your attacks? You think you're some kind of supervillain or what?"

"How dare you! If anyone here is a villain, it's you! Humanity's…"

He punched me in the shoulder, I winced, but it didn't hurt that much. I used my scissor blade to graze his arm, there was a bit of blood.

"Progress…"

He tried to hit me in the face, but I swerved out of the way again.

"Depends…"

He tried to hit me in the stomach again, but to no avail.

"On…"

Finally I was getting sick of playing cat and mouse with him and did a forward roll to the side so that there would be more of a gap between us. But he ran towards me and tried to hit me again.

"…LIFE FIBRES! Those who deny this fact only wish to send all of humankind back to the STONE AGES!"

And once again he resumed his whole 'iron fist barrage' crap.

_He's treating me like a punching bag! This guy has zero creativity!_

…_I was trying to tell you just that. _

_Okay, so I can't keep toying with him, how do I finish him off?_

_His uniform is the source of his strength. Find the nexus thread, and sever it. _

_What the hell is a nexus thread?_

_Sever it, and a uniform is torn asunder. _

_So… it's his Achilles Heel?_

…_Come again?_

_His weak point. _

_Correct. _

_So, how do I find it?!_

_I will assist you in that endeavour… _

Suddenly my vision went black-and-white, but I saw two bright red lines in each of the boxer dude's gloves, almost immediately after noticing this, my vision turned back to normal, and the boxer dude was still trying to hit me.

…_The shorts do nothing. His gloves are his uniform. _

_I am surprised you did not figure that out earlier. _

_Wait… how the hell did that happen anyway?_

_I can control the Life Fibres inside you so that you see as we do, albeit temporarily. Now enough idle prattle, focus on your opponent. _

I jumped into the air as high as I could, for a minute the boxer dude looked up at me, and then tried to use an uppercut, but I cut through his gloves before he could act, and both of them turned to streams of cloth and fell to the floor. He began to tremble and shake a bit, and knelt down and started to cry like a small child.

"How… how did you…"

Then he screamed at me and buried his face in his hands. I didn't want to think like this, but I kind of felt sorry for him. I heard that if students from higher tiers started falling back in their performance, they'd be sent to the slums. I was pretty sure that fate was waiting for him.

Suddenly I felt strings crawling all over my body, and saw that the uniform started to take on its original appearance. I almost immediately felt weak and drained, and knelt down because my legs gave way. When I looked up, Satsuki was right in front of me.

"Of course a hybrid such as yourself would be able to see nexus threads…"

I didn't even have the energy to glare at her or come up with some kind of insult.

"…but you have no idea how to control your weapon, do you? You little fool…"

That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

* * *

"_Half-Breed!"_

_The buck-toothed kid throws a dodge ball at my face. It should hurt real bad, but it doesn't. _

"_Didn't you hear, this place is for humans only! Go back to space and never come back!"_

_The girl with the really bad hair throws stones at me; I feel blood trickle down my forehead. _

"_Get out! Get out! We don't need Hybrids here!"_

_One of them kicks sand in my eyes, and another one kicks me so I fall on the floor with my face in the dirt. _

"_Evil savage!"_

_They all start kicking my back to make sure I stay down. _

"_Freak!" _

"_Alien slave!"_

_One pushes my head down into the sand, I feel suffocated. _

"_I bet she works for the rainbow lady!"_

"_Yeah! And I bet she'll call her little COVER buddies for backup and turn us into slaves!" _

"_She can't stay here!"_

"_Kill the hybrid! Kill the hybrid! Kill the hybrid!"_

_I lose control of myself, my vision goes red and I start beating them all senseless, screaming all the way. Once they're all bloody and battered, I hop the fence and run, far, far away. I just want to beat up something, anything at all. I'm so angry with everything, with humans, with Life Fibres, with the world, with Dad. I just want it all to burn, I want all of them to burn in hell. _

_I see two people coming my way, they look human, but they aren't. One's got pink hair and eyes, the other's got orange. They're saying something. Their voices are strange, it's like they're making whirring noises and talking at the same time. I don't care. I don't care what they're saying. I just want to beat them all. I run at them and attack them in blind rage. _

_I feel them come at me and I black out…_

_I don't know how long I was out, but I'm hearing voices. I can't see much though. _

"_Oh dear… she's been beaten quite badly."_

"_Whaddaya expect from a pair of COVERS?" _

"_Didn't they all go away after the war?"_

"_Well it looks like the Kiryuins are tryin' to bring 'em back."_

_I feel something licking my face, and my vision comes back. A pug is sitting on my chest, staring square at me. I'm too disoriented to mind, and besides, I don't hate animals, in fact, they can be better than humans most of the time. _

"_Well, it looks like Guts managed to wake you up!"_

_I see a woman with chestnut brown hair with a baby in her lap, she looks too refined to be from a place like this, and a slightly chubby looking man in a white coat. Next to them is a girl around my age, and a boy who looks a little bit older. The dog gets off me and walks to the girl, then takes a seat next to her. _

"_You had a bad spill there, girl. I doubt you were in your right mind there, takin' on a pair of COVERS like that. If my daughter here hadn't found you, you'd be dead by now." _

_I look at my body, which is covered in bandages, and I look up at the man. _

"_Who are you?"_

"_I'm a back alley doctor, Barazo Mankanshoku. That's my wife, Sukuyo. That's Masaomi, Mako, and little Mataro over there…" _

"_How'd I get here?"_

"_I carried you here, of course, and Daddy patched you up! You have to be more careful, it's getting really dangerous now and Mommy says we should stay within the colony borders!"_

"_Which colony are you from, dear? I've never seen you before…"_

_Why are these people so concerned about me? How does it matter to them if I live or die? They're humans, and humans hate hybrids… they all do… they're all the same… _

"_You're… not… scared of me?"_

"_Why should we be scared? You don't look like a threat to me."_

"_But… I'm a hybrid… and humans hate hybrids. Nobody likes me. Nobody wants to be my friend because they all think I'm evil, they all want me dead…"_

_I start to cry, this doesn't make any sense. Dad left me to rot in this hellhole and be hated and picked on. People aren't supposed to care about me, this is weird, this shouldn't be happening. Why is it happening? _

"_Oh, don't cry. I know, I'll be your friend!"_

_I stop crying and only look at Mako, nobody has ever said those words to me before. _

"_It's only because you live in this wretched hive that you're treated like that. We all hate this place, that's why I'm studying real hard now, so I can pass my evaluation and me and my family can go to Honnouji Academy, hey, you should go there too, I hear Hybrids get the VIP treatment there!"_

"_That's not what Dad said, he said that the Kiryuins take Hybrids away and experiment on them-"_

"_That's what they all say, your dad's probably just jealous-"_

_Mako's mom didn't seem to like that, so she pinched the older boy's ear. _

"_Masaomi!"_

"_All right, all right! I'm sorry! Jeez…"_

_Suddenly I hear a knock at the door. Mako's mom puts the baby on her husband's lap and then goes to check it, and a minute later, she comes out and Dad's standing right there. _

"_Ryuko!"_

_He runs towards me. Yes, he finally shows concern for me when I'm on the brink of death. Some father he is. I don't even know how he managed to find me, but I don't really think about it. _

"_Why are you here? You don't care about me! You leave me with people who hate me; it's all your fault! I hate you-"_

_He slaps me and grabs my shoulders. _

"_Remember what I told you, Ryuko."_

_Why does he make me do this whenever we talk, if we talk at all? It's a pointless exercise. _

"…_Don't lose your way."_

"_But you did just that today, you could have died-"_

"_I know that! What does that stupid saying even mean anyway?!"_

_Dad's silent for a while, he looks sad. _

"_It means you need to have a grip over yourself, over the Life Fibres inside you. Hold on to your sense of self, Ryuko. You never know when you may start to fade away…"_

* * *

Satsuki let me go.

She could have killed me, she had the opportunity, but she didn't. She let me go. Why? I was her enemy; I was out to find out her dirty secrets, I was Ishin Matoi's daughter, so… why? What was her motivation for sparing me? Trying to find out why was driving me insane.

When I looked at my surroundings, I felt a sense of déjà vu, and then I knew what it was. Mako's dad, her mom, and Mataro were standing around me, and Guts was at my feet, just like they were that day. But I noticed something was missing… but what?

"How… how did I-"

"Mataro found you lying unconscious in the tramway, don't know how you got there though…"

He sighed and began to look around impatiently, guess he was waiting for something.

"It's been eight years since then… and you haven't changed a bit. What, get into another fight?"

I told him how I ended up in Honnouji and my reason for being here, leaving out the details of the fight with the boxer dude and Satsuki on my tail. I remembered that Mikisugi told me not to get Mako involved in this mess.

Speaking of which… where was she?

"So you think the guy who killed Ishin is somewhere around here? Well, I can't guarantee your success, but I can wish you good luck, I guess…"

"Where's Mako?"

"She should be home by now; I wonder what's wrong…"

Then I remembered Barazo's first born child, and his dream of coming here, hoping to make it big…

"And Masaomi…?"

Mako's mom flinched and looked a little uneasy. Then he sighed in resignation.

"Oh, uh, well… I like to think he's someplace nice… maybe he's a two star, or a three star, maybe he's in Tokyo, or workin' for REVOCS… but I believe I can dream… I guess…"

I figured something was up with Masaomi that nobody was going to tell me about, or maybe he was dead and they didn't want to believe it. I decided to leave the matter for now. I got up, feeling a bit more energetic, and decided to walk about, hoping to get my muscles moving again.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere; I'd just like to walk around, I feel like I need to get my muscles going."

I walked out the door and started to walk about the narrow hall, going over what happened during the fight I last had in my head.

_You passed out because I need to take blood from you in order for you to access my power. _

I almost forgot about the uniform, or the Kamui, as Satsuki called it.

_So you really ARE a parasite…_

_I prefer the term symbiote, if you don't mind. _

_Shut your filthy mouth-_

_I do not have a mouth to speak with, remember?_

_Right… _

_Also, there is something you must know. Since our minds are connected, I was able to look through your memories. I remember that the man who created me was the very same parental figure whose death you seek to avenge. _

_I figured, Dad told me to take you… before he died, and Mikisugi mentioned about you in passing. But I don't understand why I have to be half naked in order to operate you. I swear, Dad had a sick sense of humour._

_I told you, I change my form according to how much control you have over yourself, since you wanted complete control, I took on this form. This is how all of us operate. _

…_So the less ground you cover, the more control I have?_

_Precisely._

_Well, I don't like it. _

_Your preference is irrelevant here. Oh, and there's something else I remember, but not from your memories. I faintly recall another Kamui being created with me, but I am not sure, I seem to have gaps in my consciousness…_

_Why would Dad create two of these things? Maybe you're remembering it wrong. _

_Perhaps, perhaps not. Ryuko…_

_That's the first time you've used my name. _

_I am aware. I understand you flesh-beings feel the need to identify yourselves using these… names. I would also like a name too, if you don't mind. _

_I'm no good at names._

_Anything will do._

_What are you anyway, male, female?_

_How is this relevant?_

_Men and women have different names._

_Kamui do not technically have genders… but since you asked, I choose to identify as male. _

_That makes your appearance when you transform even worse…_

_So what have you decided, for my name I mean? _

…_Senketsu._

_Senketsu?_

_It means, 'fresh blood,' since you require blood to be activated and all. _

_Very well, I will take it. _

"RYUKO!"

Mataro's scream brought me back to reality. I ran to the living room to see what was wrong, and I saw all the members of Mako's family staring at the television agape.

I saw Mako tied to a stake, and a pit of boiling water below, next to it was that Sanageyama guy from before, and high above the whole scene was Satsuki, staring down at the people she oppressed.

"This is a message for Ryuko Matoi, if you wish to see your friend alive, come to Honnouji Academy and save her with your own two hands. I will be waiting."

I didn't want to get Mako involved in this mess… but there she was. Now her life was on the line because of me, I had no other choice but to go back.


	9. Into the Fire

"_In 2155, The Spectrum Alliance was formed. It's a group consisting of prominent figures from all over the world who are dedicated to spreading the benefits of Life Fibres among the human populace. Our very own Ragyo Kiryuin represents Japan in this group. During the War, well, perhaps your parents might have told you this, but I'll explain it again…"_

_Mr. Mikisugi's droning is rather tiresome, even more so than usual, even though I'm pretty sure nothing had changed about him. Maybe it's because I'm not too keen on concentrating the lecture; there are other things on my mind at the moment. _

_For instance, I'm pretty curious about his conversation with Ryuko and what it entailed. I want to know if Mr. Mikisugi had given her too much information… if he had mentioned me, to be more precise. Well, Mr. Mikisugi only started teaching last year, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that much. Besides, they don't let teachers look at everything in the Student Database… or do they? _

_Ryuko's presence as a whole is also giving me a bit of trouble. When I saved her and when she stayed at our house all those years ago, I was happy to have someone to call a friend, but now… now that everything's changed, and that so much has happened to our family, I don't know if I can trust her. What if she really is pro-Life Fibres? What if she turns out to be like…?_

_No. No, I can't afford to let myself be carried away by negative energy. No matter how the world may be, no matter how little we have, no matter how bleak or hopeless a situation may be, I have to keep smiling. It's the only way I can stay sane, the only way I can survive. I have to look at the positives in my life, even though there aren't many. _

_The bell rings for lunch hour, and that's a signal for me to get out of the class. The other No-Stars talk amongst themselves, not too sure about what though. I don't really know what people my age get together and speak about. I once read that in the old days, humans used the internet, books, and television for entertainment, but Life Fibres think that entertainment is useless, so now they're only used to impart knowledge. No-Stars don't get much access to technology… so they can't talk about that. We're pretty locked out of the loop when it comes to the news as well, nobody here likes to speak about marks, and when you're poor social dramas are the least of your concerns, so… what do they talk about? _

_I shake my head in order to get such brooding thoughts out of my mind, and decide to focus on happier things, like the croquettes Mom packed me for lunch…_

"_Mankanshoku…"_

_I turn around and see him. He's really tall and burly for his age; he's got naturally blonde hair, black eyes, a bit of a tan, a perpetual scowl, and the standard uniform of Honnouji's higher tiers. _

_I put on my best smile as I try to discreetly inch from him, and try even harder to repress the uncomfortable memories. _

"_Gamagoori! What brings you here? As you can see, I'm not breaking the rules or anything! Did you want to try some of my croquettes-"_

"_Come with me. Lady Satsuki wishes to speak to you."_

_I smile so much that I feel like my face is going to snap in two. _

"_Why does Lady Satsuki wanna speak to me? I'm just a No-Star-"_

"_I can tolerate many things, Mankanshoku, but I can't tolerate those who wish to live in denial. Come with me." _

_I oblige and decide to follow him, like any other No-Star would. He accompanies me to the lift, and presses the button that leads to the top floor. _

"_Mankanshoku…"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Why did you do it?"_

_I play dumb._

"_Do what?"_

"_You had so much, you could have been somebody… but you decided to give it all up." _

_I don't answer him. I hear the sound of the elevator coming to a stop. _

"_You wish not to speak of it, eh?" _

_I pretend as if he never opened his mouth and just keep following him. He asks me to wait, and I do just that. I sense that someone's behind me, they've probably got a weapon too. But I don't want to fight them. Besides, I no longer have the means needed to defend myself against them. _

_I feel something stabbing me in my arm, and I black out…_

* * *

"…So you decided to show up after all, Ryuko Matoi."

The sight of Mako about to be scalded to death in the central grounds while high and low tier students alike were watching was bad enough. Looking at Satsuki's smug and arrogant expression as she stood atop that pillar was even worse.

"So you decided to stoop that low huh? Leave Mako out of this! This fight is between the two of us!"

"…so the Mankanshoku girl really is important to you, is she?"

I got out my scissor blade and pointed it at her.

"Shut your trap and face me!"

"I told you, Matoi. You're going to have to do better than this if you want to land a hit on me. How about I have you pick on somebody your own size…"

She snapped her fingers as though to call another one of her goons to her aid.

"Hakodate, step forward."

Sure enough, I saw a figure come out from the entrance of the academy. Her blonde hair was in two pony-tails, she wore a white tennis uniform, carried a satchel that slung around her shoulder, and had a yellow tennis bat in her hand, but it didn't look like any normal bat. It was huge, almost as big as my scissor blade, it was sparkling and the net, despite appearing to be made of string, looked extremely durable.

_The bat's made of Life Fibres. _

_I thought so, wait, is that where her Nexus Thread is? _

_Her uniform is also made of Life Fibres, so I do not know. It takes time to pinpoint the location of Nexus Threads. Sometimes uniforms will have more than one…_

_Oh great, thanks for telling me this NOW…_

_Just try to distract this one until I can locate the Threads, in the meantime, try not to die. If you perish, I won't be able to find another host. _

_Duly noted. _

The girl was standing a few feet away from me now, and she started glaring.

"I'm Omiko Hakodate, president of the Tennis Club. If you want to save your friend, you'll have to go through me!"

Without hesitation, I used the scissor blade to make a mild cut in my arm, and then pressed the wound to Senketsu, hoping that it would work. Luckily, he started to expand and turn into strings again, but I was able to control him so that he took on the same form as he did before… a form that I forgot how much I disliked.

I heard wolf whistling and cheers in the background, mostly from boys, but some girls were also a part of it, and the tennis girl started to laugh.

"You're… going to fight me… in a bathing suit?! Wow… you clearly have no shame!"

"It's called a Kamui! And it's not like I'm wearing this because I want to!"

The tennis girl scoffed at me and took a ball out of her satchel, then got in a position to attack me.

"Fukuroda may have fallen for your tricks, but I'm much smarter! There's only one Kamui in existence, and that belongs to Mistress Ragyo. So shut up and spare me your lies!"

She served the ball straight at me. I tried to block it, but to no avail. I was hit smack in the face and thrown a few feet away, and was now flat on my back.

_She's wrong, Ryuko. _

_I know that, but does she? _

_Ryuko, watch out!_

The tennis girl started to run towards me, presumably to finish me off. I got up just in time and jumped out of the way. She got out another ball, but this time she tried a different manoeuvre. She served the ball so that it took a curved path right towards my stomach. I tried using the scissor blade to hit it back to her, but it just cut through the ball.

_This flesh-being is indeed smarter than the last. Do not expect her to repeat the same manoeuvres ad nausem. _

The tennis girl got out three balls from her satchel and served each one almost immediately after the previous one, and all three of them were aimed at me. I was able to cut through the one aiming for my head and the one aiming for my side, but the one aiming for my right leg hit, and I ended up kneeling down.

She wasn't like the boxer dude at all.

_Have you decided to make that your job, stating out the obvious?_

_I'm only pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of your adversary. _

The tennis girl ran towards me, but I noticed that she would always keep her distance so that she could serve another ball at me. I cut through the next ball that came my way and started thinking of how to land a hit on her.

_This flesh-being however, is not suited for close combat. If you can close the gap between you, you might have a chance. _

_Have you found her Nexus Thread yet?_

Then my vision changed and I saw one yellow streak and two white ones; one across the net of the tennis bat, another where the tennis girl's belly was, and another on the hem of her skirt. My vision went back to normal as quickly as it changed.

_How the hell am I going to hit those?! Knowing her, she's going to block those spots!_

_Only COVERS can see them, and Hybrids can see them only in special circumstances. She most likely doesn't even know where her Threads are. _

_Better see if you're right… _

"What? You still can't attack me? I'm surprised you managed to defeat Fukuroda! Maybe that was beginner's luck!"

I decided to beat her at her own game. I let her hit me this time. I got up almost immediately, and I decided to carry out my plan.

_Senketsu, can Kamui regenerate?_

_Only if you don't cut their Nexus Threads… why? Oh… I understand. My Nexus Thread is close to the bottom half, steer clear from there. _

I nodded and shrunk the scissor blade down, and cut a few threads from the top part, then tied them into the loop of the scissor and expanded the blade to make a makeshift tennis bat. The next time she hit a ball at me, I used the makeshift tennis bat I had made to aim the ball right into the centre of her bat.

"Ha! Like that's going to do anything-"

When she saw the tennis bat fly out of her hands, which gave me an opportunity to run to it and cut its Nexus Thread, so that it would be rendered useless, she was forced to eat her words. She stood trembling for only a second, then clenched her hands into fists and tried to maintain a smug façade.

I couldn't celebrate just yet though, there were two more Nexus Threads to go.

"No matter, I'll just beat you to a bloody pulp then!"

She was fast, but her punches were nothing compared to the boxer dude, and I managed to slice through both the Threads. She was shocked, angry, sad, but most of all humiliated as she crouched down, trying to cover as much of her bare body as she could.

Senketsu reverted back to normal, and I felt my stamina plummet. My legs gave way again and I too was kneeling on the floor.

_Flesh-Beings are indeed strange…your defeated adversary feels shame over her body, and your shame over your supposed lack of covering is hindering my capabilities… yes, your kind is very odd indeed-_

_Keep… quiet… _

I didn't plan on going down just yet. I used whatever energy I had left to see if Mako was okay. Satsuki gestured to the Sanageyama guy and pointed to the stake where Mako was.

"Matoi has proven her worth. The Mankanshoku girl is now of no use to us. Send her home."

Sanageyama nodded and ordered for the water pit to be sent away, then pressed a button behind the stake, and Mako was released from her shackles and fell to the floor. A couple of one-stars carried her to where the tramway was.

Satsuki was still standing there, unperturbed, with her standard contemptuous smile.

"Matoi, do not think you are done. You said you wanted to know who murdered Ishin Matoi, and you believe that I have the answers you seek, am I right? Well, fight for these answers, for they will not be handed to you so easily."


	10. Strings of Fate

_Soroi leads me to the ground floor, to an isolated corridor, and asks me to press a button on the doorway, it opens. _

_I recognize the room immediately, this was my late father's lab, and this place, along with my mother's chambers and the baths are the only places in the mansion that lack cameras. _

_I look at Soroi, he is crying. I don't understand why. I am the one who has to suffer, not him. _

"_Why must you be sad? Adults do not cry." _

"…_how long?" _

_I understand what he is referring to, just hours prior; he had borne witness to its aftermath. I begin to sob and cover my body as best as I can. _

"_Three years."_

"_I… I cannot protect you from this, Miss. However, I can tell you why this is happening."_

"_Why?"_

_He struggles to say the words. _

"_They… those things… they use it to show their control over those they deem lower in stature. It doesn't matter who they are, or what they are to them… as far as they're concerned, if they are stronger than you, then they own you." _

_It takes a while for me to process his words, but once I do, something happens. I realize how things really are. _

_I deserve what I'm going through. I suffer because I'm submissive, because I make it clear that I'll be no more than a victim. If I hide my shame, my self-hatred, I'll no longer be tormented. If I discard all feeling, compassion, if I develop an iron resolve, if I show disdain for those like me, those who are also weak, then everything will change. _

_Knowing this changes me. My voice isn't a high pitched croak laced with fear, I'm no longer staring at my feet, and I'm no longer uncertain. Now I speak in a low monotone, I am standing tall, I am determined. _

_For the first time in my ten years of life, I am strong. _

"_Then that means… it's because I'm weak. It'll stop if I'm strong. This is something that's done to weak people to keep them in place. But I don't want to be like that. Tell me, Soroi. Tell me, how can I be strong?" _

_He nods, and asks me to press a button near a closed display. The display opens, revealing a white outfit with a blue sailors' collar, which strangely resembled eyes. To its side, there is a long sword. I stare at it; I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. _

_I want to wear that outfit… no. I must wear it. _

"_Your father's invention: the Kamui, or Godrobe, is a uniform to be worn solely by Hybrids. He made this one before he died. It was meant to be for you, but… the experiment failed."_

"_I'm aware that I'm a failed product."_

"_There's… also something else you need to know."_

"_Tell me."_

"_Haruka… went under the knife as well." _

_And then he begins his story…_

* * *

"…A one-hundred percent match."

I normally wouldn't allow anyone to see these results; however Iori was an exception, being something like family to me, whatever the word meant.

I told him not to make a show of it, but perhaps I had expected too much. He was shaking as he held the tablet in his hands, his eyes were wide, and his face was pale. On and off, he would look at me, and then look at the tablet, and then move back to me, trying to look for some kind of resemblance. Then again, while I had a suspicion from the beginning, I had trouble taking in the information myself.

"But… but… that's not possible-"

"What did I tell you before I brought you the samples?"

He averted his gaze in fear.

"…take them to the lab for testing, give you the results immediately, don't ask questions, and most importantly, do not tell anyone else."

"Correct."

I took the tablet from his hands and began to scroll through it. Then I walked out of the room with it, ready to carry out the next step in my plan. I took the lift to the ground floor, and then gestured to Soroi, who was waiting outside with the family car.

"Let's go."

It usually took an hour and a half to go to the Kiryuin manor from here, but the ride felt as if it had gone on for days. After seemingly aeons, I was greeted with the steel-plated gates, the lavish garden with flowers of all kinds, and the gigantic wooden door with gold-plated handles. I took care to leave the tablet with Soroi so that nobody else could know such crucial information, and then I braced myself as I walked in. This place was a heaven to many, many envied me for living here, and many wanted this place for themselves. Yet to me, it was a gateway to hell.

The maids bowed down and greeted me with as much respect and courtesy as they could muster, and I walked to my late father's lab, and opened it. I knew that this room would only accept mine, my late father's, or my mother's fingerprints, so I didn't have to worry about that meddlesome Takaji or any of my mother's associates interfering. I didn't' even have to worry about my mother herself. She had gone to America for a conference at the Spectrum Alliance and wouldn't be back for weeks.

Had I been a success, my mother would have forced me into that Kamui when I'd come of age. Since I was obviously neither hybrid nor of age, I was forbidden to wear it. I was the sole successor to the Kiryuin family, far too valuable to lose. If I turned into a COVER, I would become volatile and far too psychotic to control.

However I knew how to prevent that from happening. In addition to having a strong body and mind, had a set of words to hold on to so that I wouldn't go off the deep end, so that I would still remember who I am.

I repeated those words in my head like a refrain as I gingerly took the Kamui out of the display, and then I changed into it. Then I fixed the blue glove with spikes and a switch-like knife onto my hand, I turned the switch. I knew what would happen next, I had seen it before.

The Kamui sprung to life, its threads enveloped my entire body, starting with the lower half, and then moving to my upper half, and then my neck…

Then I could see nothing.

* * *

_A sea of blue strings…_

_They're just lying there…_

"_Awaken!"_

_It's… it's speaking to me? And I can understand what it says? This doesn't make sense. I'm no hybrid… this shouldn't be happening._

"_Wake up from your endless sleep! Wake up so we may become one!"_

'_Endless sleep…?' _

_The strings begin to stir… so this is what it means… the blue strings… the Life Fibres… are sleeping. _

_Wait, what does that mean?_

"_Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"_

_It can't be… there's just no way…_

"_Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"_

_They begin to slither like snakes; I feel them coiling around me…_

"_You have slept too long! Wake up!"_

"_SHUT UP!"_

_The voice stops. _

"_Hybrid or no, dormant or awake, you are meant to be worn, and I will bend you to my will!"_

* * *

My vision returned, but I wasn't sure what to make of what happened.

My body felt cold, but free. I looked down and saw that the Kamui had taken on a different form; it was only covering the necessary areas of my body, almost like a bathing suit. However, bathing suits did not cling to your body so tightly that you couldn't get them off.

It took me only a few seconds to realize that I was practically naked. Instinct made me feel a vulnerability I had tried to forget for years. I suddenly felt weak, submissive, open to attack, and I began to hate this outfit for making me feel like that, and I began to hate myself…

But I had to suppress this instinct if I wanted to carry out with my plans.


End file.
